Her and Her Unofficial Love Affairs

CHAPTER 30

I turned the signage of our shop's front door from "Sorry, we're closed" to "Please come in, we're open" as I entered our shop the following day. Our staff always forgot to do that every time they open our shop. As usual, my best friend is late again for the day.

"Good morning, Anj!" a familiar voice came breezily from inside our shop.

Realizing that I was set to see my high school ex-crush and his wife that day, I inhaled deeply as if gathering some strength before turning around to see them.

"Finally we're here, Anj! Your shop is so chic. At last I see something avant-garde here in your laidback town!" Criselda exclaimed while examining the fabric of a wedding gown one of our mannequins was wearing.

"Oh, thank you so much for that compliment, Criselda. That means a lot," I said as I put my bag on my table, passing Lance who was already sitting at one of the seats for the customers.

"Well, Lance did tell me that you were trained by Kitchie Ng. That must've been so exciting, huh?" she inquired while she was approaching my table.

"Yes, it was the time of our lives!" I replied as I was reminded of me and my best friend's lives while being on-calls for Kitchie Ng.

"Honey, you mentioned to me that you have met Kitchie Ng, right?" Criselda turned to Lance and he suddenly jolted out from he-only-knew-what-he-was-thinking-about reverie.

"Oh, yeah. That was way, way back three years ago, I guess?" Lance motioned to me for a nod.

"Yep, three years. Oh, how just time flies," I said while taking my seat.

"Yes, time flies so fast and I just happen to know somebody who haven't flown with it yet," Criselda implied while eyeing her husband.

"OK then, I'll just leave you here two for a girl talk," Lance surprisingly announced as he got up to kiss his wife on the cheek.

"Alright, honey. Thank you for taking me here today. Finally I have someone classy to talk to here in your hometown," Criselda returned the kiss on his husband's lips.

"So, what are we up to aside from being bored here in our small town, Criselda?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh, really. Nothing is happening! I am bored to death! If only Lance did not decide on trying his take for their family business," she started to try to confide but she got distracted on the emboss-printed wedding invitation on the table.

"Gosh, this is so pretty!" she admiringly traced the intricate details of the invitation with her delicately long fingers.

"Oh, thank you. That is specially designed for an elderly couple whose romance hasn't died out through the years," I said referring to the Gutierrez's and a sudden rush of excitement flowed through me as I remembered Tom and our phone conversation until 3AM that morning. That boy hasn't had enough of me even after dropping me off at my house after his grandparents' rehearsal dinner.

"I wanna take you home," grabbing my things as we packed up after his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary.

"No, I can manage," I refused.

"I'll drive your car for you," he further offered.

Then his grandmother passed us by with my eyes pleading for him to release my bag from his hand. He in turn looked at me with eyes longing to be with me as he gave my back to me. I couldn't stand looking at him that way so I walked away.

One look at each other's eyes, there was understanding. Subtle moves, waiting for each other, and secret whispers. Goosebumps, fast heartbeats, and butterflies in the stomach. Then it came to the point when I realized that sometimes something beautiful happens in this world, you don't know how to express yourself so you just gotta smile!:) Damn, I often caught myself smiling! Contented smiles but sometimes, the eyes show wanting for more....

I didn't expect our friendship to come that far. We didn't expect and try to make a "relationship" out from it for we both know our limitations. "We" couldn't be. It was just enough for us to know that I was his reason to smile and he was also my reason to smile. Though there were a lot of things left unspoken, it was OK. We understood our situation and we understood each other. It was the meeting of the minds, a silent agreement, a sweet attachment! We were contented with what we had and we cherished all our moments together.

But the love just stayed for a while. We chose not to bring it to the next level. We chose to stop from there.

"Tom, this couldn't be. You're way too younger than I am," I said.

"But age doesn't matter," he replied.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Talking to the moon," he replied.

"The last time I talked to the moon was for you to be safe at all times and for you to handle all life's challenges pretty well," I said.

And the laughter became tears. While the rose he gave me withered, so as the love faded. From being blissfully happy, I turned miserably blue.